Hockey blade with enhanced crown

ABSTRACT

A hockey stick includes a blade and a shaft meeting at an elbow region. A crown located along the top edge of the elbow region has an increased width, an increased height, or both, relative to crowns found in existing hockey blades. This enhanced crown helps to transfer load (or energy) from the shaft to the blade in the elbow region where such transfer is limited by existing designs. It does so without sacrificing puck handling and control, since the puck-contacting faces of the blade are not affected by the presence of the crown.

BACKGROUND

Hockey sticks generally include a blade and an elongated shaft. Many modern hockey sticks are constructed from lightweight, fiber-reinforced composite materials that provide excellent maneuverability and performance, as well as a sleek appearance. The light weight and resilience of modern hockey sticks enable players to propel pucks at high velocities, which results in high-impact loads to the blade. Further, the hockey-stick blade, or “hockey blade,” is subjected to impacts from other stick blades and shafts, arena boards, goal posts, skate blades, and so forth. A high performance hockey blade, therefore, must be able to withstand many loads, including impact loads, bending loads, and torsional loads.

A hockey stick functions by preloading or flexing the shaft (storing energy) then releasing this energy to the blade to propel a puck or ball (collectively referred to hereinafter as a “puck,” for ease of description). Much of the energy generated by a hockey stick is stored in the flexed shaft. The transfer of this energy from the shaft to the blade determines the velocity and efficiency of a shot.

The hockey blade itself also flexes and releases during the shot. Indeed, the hockey blade is subjected to bending and twisting forces. On a typical shot, the hockey blade contacts the ice or ground prior to contacting the puck. During such contact, the shaft and blade both undergo flexure. A location of meaningful deflection is at the “elbow” where the blade and the shaft meet. Bending and torsional deflections are often highest in this elbow region. Accordingly, the blade must adequately resist deflections in this region and be resilient enough to return to its original form.

FIG. 1 illustrates one example of a traditional composite hockey blade 5. The blade 5 includes a hosel 6 and a tenon 8 to which a stick-shaft may be attached. A crown region 7 runs along the top edge of the elbow region of the blade 5. As shown in FIG. 2, the crown 7 has dimensions that are substantially equal to the dimensions of neighboring blade regions.

SUMMARY

A hockey stick includes a blade and a shaft meeting at an elbow region. A crown located along the top edge of the elbow region has an increased width, an increased height, or both, relative to crowns found in existing hockey blades. Other features and advantages will appear hereinafter.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an isometric view of an existing hockey blade.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view, taken along Section A-A, of the crown region of the hockey blade shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is an isometric view of a hockey blade with an enhanced crown, according to one embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a side view of the hockey blade shown in FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken at Section A of FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken at Section B of FIG. 4.

FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken at Section C of FIG. 4.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Various embodiments of the invention will now be described. The following description provides specific details for a thorough understanding and enabling description of these embodiments. One skilled in the art will understand, however, that the invention may be practiced without many of these details. Additionally, some well-known structures or functions may not be shown or described in detail so as to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the relevant description of the various embodiments.

The terminology used in the description presented below is intended to be interpreted in its broadest reasonable manner, even though it is being used in conjunction with a detailed description of certain specific embodiments of the invention. Certain terms may even be emphasized below; however, any terminology intended to be interpreted in any restricted manner will be overtly and specifically defined as such in this detailed description section.

Where the context permits, singular or plural terms may also include the plural or singular term, respectively. Moreover, unless the word “or” is expressly limited to mean only a single item exclusive from the other items in a list of two or more items, then the use of “or” in such a list is to be interpreted as including (a) any single item in the list, (b) all of the items in the list, or (c) any combination of items in the list. Further, unless otherwise specified, terms such as “attached” or “connected” are intended to include integral connections, as well as connections between physically separate components.

Turning now in detail to the drawings, as shown in FIGS. 3-7, a hockey-stick blade 10, or hockey blade 10, according to one embodiment, is shown separate from a hockey-stick shaft. The hockey blade 10 could alternatively be integrated into a one-piece stick. The illustrated hockey blade 10 has a left-handed curvature for use by a left-handed player. The blade 10 could alternatively be straight or have a right-handed curvature for use by a right-handed player. The various blade regions may be made of composite laminates or of other suitable materials, such as those described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,097,577 and 7,144,343, or in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/954,799, all of which are incorporated herein by reference.

The hockey blade 10 includes a hosel 12 and a tenon 13 that is attachable to a shaft. The blade 10 also includes a heel region 14, a striking region 16, and a toe region 18, as well as a top edge 20, a bottom edge 22, and a toe edge 24. An enhanced or increased crown 17 is located along the top edge 20 of the blade 10 generally in the elbow region between the tenon 13 and the striking region 16 of the blade 10. The enhanced crown 17 occupies approximately the upper 8 to 12 mm of the blade 10 in the elbow region.

The blade 10 includes a front face 26 and a rear face (not visible in the figures) separated in a lateral direction by a cavity. The cavity may be hollow or it may be filled with one or more core elements made of a foam material, such as a syntactic foam, a pre-cured polyurethane foam, or a lightweight flexible foam, or of one or more elastomeric materials, or one or more other suitable materials, such as those described in incorporated U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,097,577 and 7,144,343, or in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/954,799. As described in these references, the core elements may be wrapped in one or more fiber-reinforced plies, such as plies reinforced with carbon, aramid, boron, glass, or other suitable materials.

In one embodiment, the enhanced crown 17 extends along the top edge 20 of the blade 10 from a region near the end of the hosel 12 to a region overlying the heel 14 of the blade 10. The crown 17 widens in a lateral direction (i.e., in a direction generally perpendicular to the blade face 26) as it approaches its midpoint, then gradually narrows until it smoothly merges with the neighboring blade regions at the crown's two end regions. The crown 17 may be symmetrical along its length such that its width is equal or substantially equal in both lateral directions at every position along its length.

The enhanced crown 17 may also increase in height from its endpoints to its midpoint. In other words, the enhanced crown 17 may begin at or near the shape of a traditional blade near the end of the hosel 12, then increase in width or height to a maximum size near its midpoint, then taper back down to smoothly blend into the blade near the heel or mid-region of the blade 10.

FIG. 5 illustrates the starting point for the enhanced crown 17 at a position near the end of the hosel 12 where the crown 17 has not yet begun to appreciably widen or increase in height. FIG. 6 illustrates a position near the midpoint of the crown 17 at which the width is increased (relative to the starting point) in each lateral direction by a distance X, and in the vertical direction by a distance Y. In one embodiment, the distance X is approximately 0.06 to 0.08 inches, while the distance Y is approximately 0.05-0.07 inches. Any other suitable dimensions may alternatively be used.

FIG. 7 illustrates a position near the terminal end of the crown 17 at which the width is increased (relative to the starting point and to the adjacent “non-crown” region of the upper blade) in each lateral direction by a distance X′, and in the vertical direction by a distance Y′. In one embodiment, the distance X′ is approximately 0.02 to 0.04 inches, while the distance Y′ is approximately 0.03 to 0.05 inches. Any other suitable dimensions may alternatively be used.

While the enhanced crown 17 is illustrated as starting at a point adjacent to the end of the hosel 12, the starting point may vary according to the blade design. For example, some blades are formed integrally with their respective shafts, so it is not necessarily clear where the hosel ends. Other blades may extend a greater or lesser distance in a vertical direction, such that the shaft-end of the hosel is located farther from or closer to the heel 14 of the blade. Thus, in one embodiment, with the blade 10 resting on a horizontal surface such that its midpoint contacts the surface, the starting point of the enhanced crown 17 may be located a vertical distance Z of approximately 4.0 to 4.25 inches above the horizontal surface. The starting point could alternatively be located at a greater or lesser distance from the horizontal surface. For example, in some blades, the crown 17 may start as high as approximately 8.0 inches above the horizontal surface, or it may start nearer the bottom of the hosel 12 at less than 4.0 inches above the horizontal surface.

In one embodiment, the enhanced crown 17 extends along the top of the blade 10 a longitudinal length L of approximately 4.0 to 5.0 inches. The crown 17 may alternatively extend any other suitable length. In an alternative embodiment, for example, the crown 17 may extend a greater distance to approximately the mid-region of the top edge 20 of the blade 10.

While the illustrated crown 17 is widest at or near its midpoint, and is symmetrical along its length about a longitudinal centerline of the blade 10, other configurations are possible. For example, the crown 17 could extend further laterally in one of the forward or rearward directions, or could have an asymmetrical profile along its length. The symmetrical crown 17 with a width that increases from its end regions to a location at or near its midpoint, however, provides a sleek shape that provides several benefits.

The enhanced crown 17, for example, helps to transfer load (or energy) from the shaft to the blade in the elbow region where such transfer is limited by existing designs. It does so without sacrificing puck handling and control, since the puck-contacting faces of the blade are not affected by the presence of the crown 17. Indeed, the stiffer elbow region may actually improve control of the puck.

When shooting a puck, a hockey player “loads” the stick by flexing the shaft prior to contacting the puck. The loading of the stick is a combination of bending and twisting of the shaft and blade. In particular, the elbow region undergoes significant deformation resulting from the focus of these stresses. The shaft and blade then recover and accelerate the blade toward the puck.

The enhanced crown 17 improves the transfer of energy from the shaft to the blade, resulting in a faster, more controlled shot. In contrast, traditional hockey blades have a decreased thickness in the elbow region that results in a high degree of flexibility. A blade that is too flexible in the elbow region responds more slowly in transferring energy from the shaft to the blade. Providing an enhanced crown 17 improves stiffness in this area, which helps transfer the energy of the shaft to the blade. Further, if desired, the blade width in regions near the enhanced crown 17 may be reduced due to the presence of the stiffer elbow region. Reducing the width in these regions produces a lighter blade, which is preferred by some players.

Another shooting technique is to load the toe of the blade and induce bending and twisting of the blade with less contribution from the shaft. This type of shot, referred to as a “wrist shot,” involves increased blade energy that is loaded and released to propel the blade toward the puck. A wrist shot requires less time than the typical “one timer” or slap shot, and is frequently used during play. In this type of shot, the properties of the blade are particularly important because more blade flex is induced than shaft flex. As with a slap shot, the deformation of the blade is focused in the elbow area during a wrist shot. Providing an enhanced crown 17 in the elbow region of the blade allows the blade to transfer more blade energy to the puck. Further, when a blade is toe loaded, the loft of the blade increases, often resulting in shots with a higher trajectory than desired. Providing a stiffer crown 17 helps to control the loft angle of the blade and improve control of the shot.

The enhanced crown 17 may also act as a bumper to assist in trapping bouncing or rolling pucks. Pucks that collide with the underside of the crown 17, for example, will generally be guided downward toward the ice for improved control, as opposed to hopping over the blade 10.

Many hockey players prefer hockey sticks that appear light and maneuverable. Simply increasing the thickness of the blade itself would generally result in a blade that appears big, bulky, and slow. When looking at the hockey blade at address, the eye is typically drawn to the curvature of the blade, in particular from the mid-blade area toward the tip or toe of the blade. The enhanced crown 17 in the elbow region of the blade, while noticeable, is not in an area that is typically associated with the desired lightweight, sleek look of the blade.

From a manufacturing standpoint, the enhanced crown 17 is relatively easy to produce. Indeed, the enhanced crown can be made of the same composite (or other) materials used to construct the remainder of the hockey blade 10. Thus, labor and materials are only minimally increased relative to the manufacture of existing hockey blades.

Any of the above-described embodiments may be used alone or in combination with one another. Further, the hockey blade may include additional features not described herein. While specific embodiments have been shown and described, various changes and substitutions may of course be made, without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. The invention, therefore, should not be limited, except by the following claims and their equivalents. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A hockey-stick blade, comprising: a toe region; a heel region spaced longitudinally from the toe region; a striking region positioned between the toe region and the heel region; a hosel extending generally upwardly from the heel region to form an elbow region with the heel region; and a crown running longitudinally along an upper surface of the elbow region, the crown protruding laterally in a forward direction and a rearward direction relative to the longitudinal direction, wherein the crown has a greater lateral width at a mid-region of the crown than at two end regions of the crown.
 2. The hockey-stick blade of claim 1 wherein the crown, at the mid-region, has a lateral width of approximately 0.06 to 0.08 inches in the forward direction and a lateral width of approximately 0.06 to 0.08 inches in the rearward direction.
 3. The hockey-stick blade of claim 2 wherein the crown gradually narrows from the mid-region to the two end regions until it smoothly merges with blade regions neighboring the two end regions.
 4. The hockey-stick blade of claim 1 wherein the crown has a length in the longitudinal direction of approximately 4.0 to 5.0 inches.
 5. The hockey-stick blade of claim 1 wherein the crown is substantially symmetrical along its length such that its lateral width in the forward direction is substantially equal to its lateral width in the rearward direction at every position along its length.
 6. The hockey-stick blade of claim 1 wherein the crown has a greater height at the mid-region of the crown than at the two end regions of the crown.
 7. The hockey-stick blade of claim 6 wherein the height of the crown at the mid-region is approximately 0.05 to 0.07 inches.
 8. The hockey-stick blade of claim 7 wherein the height of the crown gradually lessens from the mid-region to the two end regions until it smoothly merges with blade regions neighboring the two end regions.
 9. A hockey-stick blade, comprising: a toe region; a heel region spaced longitudinally from the toe region; a striking region positioned between the toe region and the heel region; a hosel extending generally upwardly from the heel region to form an elbow region with the heel region; and a crown running longitudinally along an upper surface of the elbow region, the crown protruding laterally in a forward direction and a rearward direction relative to the longitudinal direction.
 10. The hockey-stick blade of claim 9 wherein the crown runs from an upper surface of the hosel to an upper surface of the heel region.
 11. The hockey-stick blade of claim 9 wherein the crown runs from an upper surface of the hosel to an upper surface of the striking region.
 12. The hockey-stick blade of claim 9 wherein a mid-region of the crown has a lateral width of approximately 0.06 to 0.08 inches in the forward direction and a lateral width of approximately 0.06 to 0.08 inches in the rearward direction.
 13. The hockey-stick blade of claim 12 wherein the crown gradually narrows from the mid-region to two end regions until it smoothly merges with blade regions neighboring the two end regions.
 14. The hockey-stick blade of claim 9 wherein the crown has a length in the longitudinal direction of approximately 4.0 to 5.0 inches.
 15. The hockey-stick blade of claim 9 wherein the crown is substantially symmetrical along its length such that its lateral width in the forward direction is substantially equal to its lateral width in the rearward direction at every position along its length.
 16. The hockey-stick blade of claim 9 wherein the crown has a greater height at a mid-region of the crown than at two end regions of the crown.
 17. The hockey-stick blade of claim 16 wherein the height of the crown at the mid-region is approximately 0.05 to 0.07 inches.
 18. A hockey stick, comprising: a shaft; a blade attached to or integral with the shaft, the shaft and blade forming an elbow region, wherein the blade extends longitudinally from a heel region to a toe region; and a crown running longitudinally along an upper surface of the elbow region, the crown protruding laterally in a forward direction and a rearward direction relative to the longitudinal direction.
 19. The hockey stick of claim 18 wherein the crown has a greater lateral width at a mid-region of the crown than at two end regions of the crown.
 20. The hockey stick of claim 18 wherein the crown is substantially symmetrical along its length such that its lateral width in the forward direction is substantially equal to its lateral width in the rearward direction at every position along its length. 